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Son of Prominent Malawi Politician Arrested in SA Blantyre (Malawi) (African Eye News Service, October 7, 1999) - The son of Malawi s parliamentary speaker has

Message 1 of 26
, Oct 8, 1999

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Son of Prominent Malawi Politician Arrested in SA

Blantyre (Malawi) (African Eye News Service, October 7, 1999) - The son of
Malawi's parliamentary speaker has been arrested and jailed for two years on
fraud charges in South Africa, the Malawi Daily News reported on Thursday.

The newspaper said Speaker Sam Mpasu's 26-year-old son, Joseph, was also
being sought by the Malawian authorities in connection with a cash heist in which
a police officer was killed.

Mpasu confirmed that his son was in a South African jail and said: "Joseph is
over 25 and he knows what he is doing," adding that he has not been in touch
with his fugitive son "for a long time"

State advocate Auriliano Zulu said he was not sure whether Mpasu, convicted
and sentenced on Tuesday, would be allowed to serve his sentence in Malawi.
He said the International Police Organisation (Interpol) was discussing the issue
with Malawian and South African police authorities.

The newspaper reported that Joseph Mpasu was arrested in South Africa after
he was caught trying to launder fake US dollars. He was also charged with gun-
running and theft of a motor vehicle.

Joseph allegedly escaped from police custody in Malawi after being arrested
along with Malawi's most wanted criminal, Clive Macholowe.

Christine Chumbler

Britain warns Malawi against corrupt government The British High Commissioner to Malawi has warned ministers in the capital, Lilongwe, that Britain will not

Message 2 of 26
, Oct 12, 2000

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Britain warns Malawi
against corrupt
government

The British High Commissioner to Malawi has
warned ministers in the capital, Lilongwe, that
Britain will not support corrupt governments.

Speaking at a seminar on good governance
attended by government secretaries and
ministers, the High Commissioner, George
Finlayson, said Britain would not subsidise
economic mismanagement -- and nor would it
give backing to leaders who were unwilling to
take tough decisions.

Mr Finlayson's comments come after a series of
corruption allegations against members of the
administration of President Bakili Muluzi.

The President has said he will not dismiss any
ministers until they are formally accused of a
crime.

Paul DEVER

How ironic that the British government is no longer tolerating corrupt governments...after how many years of not only supporting, but propping them up... ...

Message 3 of 26
, Oct 12, 2000

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How ironic that the British government is no longer tolerating corrupt
governments...after how many years of not only supporting, but propping them
up...

Opposition challenge Mugabe law The opposition in urban areas were less intimidated by election violence By Grant Ferrett in Harare The Supreme Court in

Message 4 of 26
, Jan 19, 2001

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Opposition challenge
Mugabe law

The opposition in urban areas were less intimidated by
election violence
By Grant Ferrett in Harare

The Supreme Court in Zimbabwe has begun
hearing a challenge by the main opposition
party against President Mugabe's decision last
month to amend the electoral law.

The amendment prevents the courts from
overturning any of the results of last year's
parliamentary elections, even if there is
evidence of corrupt or illegal practices.

Riot police surrounded the Supreme Court as
the hearing was due to begin, providing an
indication of the depth of the controversy still
surrounding the poll last June.

The opposition Movement for Democratic
Change had planned to challenge the results of
40 constituencies, a third of the total number
of contested seats, largely on the grounds of
violence in the run-up to voting.

'Unconstitutional'

Sitting members of parliament say the
amendment cannot now be removed.

But the opposition
Movement for
Democratic Change
says it is
unconstitutional.

Its lawyer told the
Supreme Court that
the decision to prevent
any legal challenge
amounted to a denial
of the constitutional
right to the protection
of the law.

The government, which has hired a South
African lawyer to present its case, argues that
invalidating results from last year's poll could
threaten democracy and stability in Zimbabwe.

Whatever the outcome, the prospects are
grim.

If the Supreme Court rules in favour of the
opposition it would mark an important step
towards the holding of a series of by-elections.

Given the example of recent months, that
would probably result in renewed violence and
intimidation - most of it carried out by
supporters of the ruling party.

Another possibility is that the government will
once again simply ignore the Supreme Court,
further undermining the rule of law.

Heavy rains have continued throughout Malawi, worsening the
flooding in the south of the country and threatening new areas
that were initially unaffected, an OCHA situation report released
on Tuesday said. Some 335,000 people have been affected by
the floods that have so far inundated 13 out of Malawi's 27
districts, killing 14 people and causing widespread damage.

In Nsanje and Chikwawa districts in the south, 125,000 and
62,500 people have been affected respectively. "Parts of these
districts are not yet accessible due to poor conditions of roads
and bridges, hindering delivery of relief items," OCHA said.

While the Department of Disaster Preparedness, Rehabilitation
and Relief (DDPRR) has distributed maize, beans and salts as
well as blankets in Nsanje, Mangochi, Zomba and Chikwawa,
those items were "distributed only to people within the reach of
public authorities, namely people accommodated in public
buildings, schools and churches." In the Central region, heavy
rainfall has affected more farms, especially in Salima district. "The
situation in Nkhotakota district, the worst affected in the Central
region, remains critical," warned OCHA.

DDPRR had provided food assistance to the affected, until the
depletion of stocks on 6 March. The government has appealed for US $6.7 million in assistance. Together with DDPRR, UNDP is
coordinating donor and the UN's efforts in response to the
emergency. UNDP, UNICEF and WHO have deployed assessment teams in the field. The government and UNDP finalised arrangements for the procurement of blankets, iodised salt and plastic sheets with funding from the government of Norway and OCHA, the report said.

Meanwhile, WFP has commenced food distribution for 58,900
"most affected persons" in six districts, aiming at providing 690 mt.
WFP has worked out a logistics plan in collaboration with district
officials and other partners to ensure efficient delivery of
assistance. The possibility of using small canoes and army
helicopters for areas that cannot be reached by road or rail is
under consideration, OCHA noted. The International Federation
of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Malawi Red Cross have also been active in relief distribution.

Christine Chumbler

Church ultimatum to Malawi president By Raphael Tenthani in Blantyre Malawi s second largest church, the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian or CCAP, has

Message 6 of 26
, May 16, 2001

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Church ultimatum to
Malawi president

By Raphael Tenthani in Blantyre

Malawi's second largest church, the Church of
Central Africa Presbyterian or CCAP, has asked
President Bakili Muluzi to come out in the open
on whether he will or will not stand for an
unconstitutional third term of office.

Last month the CCAP issued a pastoral letter
cautioning the ruling United Democratic Front
(UDF) against moves to change the
constitution to allow Mr. Muluzi to stand again
when his second term comes up in 2004.

Reacting to the pastoral letter, Information
Minister Clement Stambuli said it was
premature to discuss the issue of the third
term because the ruling party politiburo or the
cabinet are yet to discuss it.

But the General Synod of the CCAP - the
church's highest authority - says that is not
good enough.

In a letter to the president and Mr Stambuli
the church says the debate could have been
curtailed had the president himself came out
clean on the issue.

The church says: "Our humble request is that
you, Mr President, simply declare your decision
not to seek a third term and we believe this
matter will be put to rest."

'Democratic values'

The church says its opposition to Mr Muluzi's
third term bid is not a judgment on his
effectiveness as president. It says the reason
for its opposition to the third term is to ensure
that democratic values that Malawians sought
in 1994 are upheld.

But despite the general opposition to the third
term issue, UDF leaders have stepped up the
unofficial campaign for the bid. Special songs
beseaching Mr Muluzi to stay put have been
composed.

Mr Muluzi himself, although he has not openly
made his stand clear on the issue, has never
cautioned his cadres, heightening speculation
that this is a calculated move to make it seem
as if it has come from the grassroots.

However, the recent capitulation of his
Zambian counterpart Frederick Chiluba on the
third term issue and Mozambican President
Joachim Chissano's announcement that he
would not seek another term could leave Mr
Muluzi isolated under pressure to discard the
third term idea.

Christine Chumbler

Malawi s treason trial judge resigns By Raphael Tenthani in Blantyre A high-profile treason trial in Malawi, in which four people are being accused of plotting

Message 7 of 26
, Nov 6, 2001

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Malawi's treason trial
judge resigns

By Raphael Tenthani in Blantyre

A high-profile treason trial in Malawi, in which
four people are being accused of plotting to
overthrow the government of President Bakili
Muluzi, will have to start again following the
sudden withdrawal of presiding judge, Justice
Anaclet Chipeta.

Mr Chipeta is himself facing court proceedings
on charges of issuing judgements favourable to
opposition parties.

With two other judges, Justices Dunstain
Mwaungulu and George Chimasula Phiri, Mr
Chipeta is scheduled to appear before
parliament in Lilongwe on Tuesday at the start
of their impeachment proceedings.

The impeachment
follows complaints by
the ruling United
Democratic Front, UDF,
that the three senior
judges were working in
cahoots with the
opposition.

New trial

There were emotional scenes and a near
fracas in the High Court in Blantyre on Monday
as the judge announced his withdrawal from
the case.

He told the shocked courtroom that he could
not continue with the treason case when he
himself was on trial.

"I can't put everybody on hold as I am
preparing my own defence before parliament,"
he said.

Mr Chipeta also said that however he directed
the jury in the case, both parties would be
suspicious.

He therefore said the safest way forward was
to withdraw from the case and hand it over to
another judge.

Everybody in the packed courtroom held their
breath as the judge went on to explain that
this means the case should start afresh with a
new jury and a new judge and that the state
should recall all the 15 witnesses.

Shocked indignation

Soon after the judge made his ruling, all the
four suspected coup-plotters and their lawyers
reacted with shocked indignation.

Alleged coup leader Sudi Adak Sulaimana told
journalists he would rather rot in jail than come
back to court after another judge is appointed.

"We are being
persecuted," he said.
"How can we endure all
that once more
because parliament
wants to interfere with
the judiciary?"

Mr Sulaimana has said
that the treason trial
itself was a plot to
discredit Malawi's
opposition leader.

He claims the
government had offered him money and his
freedom if he promised to say National
Democratic Alliance leader Brown Mpinganjira
was behind the attempted coup.

Near tears

Mr Sulaimana's co-accused, soldier Moses
Bwanali, in near tears, said his wife had given
birth to his baby while he was in prison.

He said since the case was nearing its end, he
thought he would be able to see his baby since
he said he was convinced he was innocent.

Defence lawyer Fabiano
Mzumara told BBC News
Online he would apply
for bail because the
latest developments
were not his clients'
fault.

"The court might take a
long time to appoint a
new judge so my
clients, if they will be kept in prison, will suffer
for no reason of their own making," he said.

Injunction

Director of Public Prosecution Fahad Assani
said he was totally taken by surprise with
Justice Chipeta's ruling.

"I need more time to find out the way
forward," he told BBC News Online.

Meanwhile another High Court judge, Bathiel
Chiudza Banda, slapped Parliament with an
injunction, restraining MPs from summoning the
three judges.

In a strongly-worded ruling, Justice Banda
asked where Malawi's young democracy was
going when even judges could be threatened in
their job.

"I am granting the injunction in the national
interest," he said.

In yet another twist, Speaker of Parliament
Sam Mpasu told Monday's sitting of parliament
that the three judges would no longer be
summoned because the Judicial Service
Commission had appeal to him not to call the
judges until the Commission investigates the
three judges' alleged misconduct.

It is not clear what this means for Justice
Chipeta's resignation.

Christine Chumbler

Zimbabwe cracks down on illegal journalists Harare | Thursday ZIMBABWEAN authorities are searching for several foreign journalists who entered the country as

Message 8 of 26
, Jan 24, 2002

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Zimbabwe cracks down on
'illegal' journalists

Harare | Thursday

ZIMBABWEAN authorities are searching for several foreign
journalists who entered the country as tourists in defiance of a
ban on most visiting correspondents, a senior government official
said on Thursday.
The state controlled daily Herald said that its "investigations"
established that reporters from Britain's Guardian and Telegraph
newspapers, the London-based Economist, South Africa's
Sunday Times "and a few other foreign scribes" had declared
themselves as holidaymakers on arrival here and were illegally
working as journalists.
Several of the "illegal" journalists have been covering the
worsening repression in the run-up to presidential elections in
March and their reports have been published under their names in
their newspapers.
"Our net is closing in on them and we should be able to account
for all of them by the end of the day," said George Charamba,
secretary for the department of information.
Visiting journalists have to obtain accreditation from the
information department before being allowed into the country.
Early last year, the regime ended its previously open policy and
only a handful of foreign correspondents have been granted
accreditation.
It says the BBC is "banned" from coming here.
"What makes the whole development quite sinister is the fact that
these journalists have got intelligence cover from a hostile state
because they are on assignment," Charamba said, without
explanation.
The Herald claimed the journalists were staying in hotels and
"MDC safe houses."
The announcement came as deepening confusion surrounded
controversial information minister Jonathan Moyo's attempt to
introduce new press laws that will allow the regime to shut down
the country's independent press, stop its journalists working, and
cut off reporting to the outside world of the escalating crisis in the
country.
Wednesday's debate on the bill was delayed for the fourth time in
just over a week, amid signs of angry opposition to the bill from
MPs of the ruling Zanu-PF party.
Meanwhile, a journalist from Madagascar who had planned to
spend her vacation with friends in Zimbabwe was turned away
when she arrived at the airport in Harare, she said from
Johannesburg.
Nivo Sahondra Randriamasimanana, a journalist for a French
magazine, Capricorne, was allowed to stay at the airport only a
few minutes before being put on the first plane leaving for
Johannesburg.
Passports from Madagascar state the holder's profession, and
when immigration authorities saw the word "journalist" they did
not even ask whether she had come to Zimbabwe for work or for
tourism, she said.
"They really treated me like a criminal," Randriamasimanana
said. Tourists to Zimbabwe can normally pay for a visa at the
airport in Harare, but journalists coming to report on the country
must apply one month in advance from their home country for a
special visa. - Sapa, AFP

*****

And in South Africa, safety issues in schools are finally getting attention...

EU poised for action on Zimbabwe Mugabe: Invited observers but excluded Britain European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels are discussing new UK

Message 9 of 26
, Jan 28, 2002

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EU poised for action on
Zimbabwe

Mugabe: Invited observers but excluded Britain
European Union foreign ministers meeting in
Brussels are discussing new UK proposals on
possible sanctions against Zimbabwe.

Britain was expected to press its EU partners
to impose limited sanctions if Harare does not
meet demands for monitors for the 9-10 March
presidential elections.

Reports suggest several
EU members are
reluctant to impose
sanctions, such as the
freezing of assets
abroad, arguing it would
give Mr Mugabe's
government an excuse
to exclude international
monitors.

But state media in Zimbabwe said Mr Mugabe
had invited foreign observers to the elections,
including observers from the EU, but would not
allow observers from Britain, whom he accused
of backing the opposition.

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said ahead of
Monday's meeting that it was time to put
President Mugabe "on the spot" amid mounting
violence ahead of the election.

"The tragedy unfolding in Zimbabwe is driven
by one man's ruthless campaign to hang on to
power whatever the cost," Mr Straw told the
Guardian newspaper.

EU foreign ministers are
considering four
options, ranging from no
change in policy at all
to an immediate
imposition of sanctions.

Correspondents say the
most likely outcome will
be somewhere between
these two extremes.

In a letter sent to Brussels a week ago,
Zimbabwe committed itself to inviting
observers.

And Mr Mugabe was quoted as saying in a
meeting on Monday with state media reporters
that Nigeria and the South African
Development Community could send observers
immediately.

Observers from the Commonwealth, the EU -
excluding Britain - and other regional and
international organisations could go at a later,
unspecified date, he said.

'Disgrace'

Over the past few days the British Government
has backed away from the idea of trying to get
EU sanctions imposed at once.

But Mr Straw said on
Sunday that Mr
Mugabe's actions had
sullied the reputation
of the whole of
southern Africa.

"Clearly what has been
happening in Zimbabwe
is totally
unacceptable," he said.

"And I think the word
the Prime Minister
[Tony Blair] used last
Wednesday was that
Mugabe's actions were a disgrace to his own
country."

EU foreign ministers are expected to debate
cutting aid to the troubled country and may
ban Zimbabwean governmental figures from
travelling.

The EU has repeatedly urged Mr Mugabe to
end political violence.

It wants him to organise fair presidential
elections, ensure freedom of the press and to
end the continued illegal occupations of
white-owned farms by so-called war veterans.

It is also concerned about new proposed
legislation that would severely censor the
country's media and restrict foreign reporting
in the country.

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group
could decide to recommend Zimbabwe's
suspension when it meets on Wednesday.

But BBC diplomatic correspondent Barnaby
Mason says a full decision cannot be made
until the Commonwealth heads of state summit
at the beginning of March.

*****

Mt Kilimanjaro Is Melting To Its Death

The East African Standard (Nairobi)
January 27, 2002
Posted to the web January 27, 2002
An astonishing development is changing one of Africa's most remarkable land marks beyond recognition. The ice cap on Mt Kilimanjaro, one of the few places in the world where ice and snow can be seen on the Equator, is expected to disappear in the next 12 years. Staff writer Mildred Ngesa and photographer Blasto Ogindo recently visited the mountain on a fact finding mission.
Guide: "Leo mlima umenuna (Today the mountain is annoyed)!"
Writer: "Mlima umenuna? (The mountain annoyed?)"
Guide: "Ndio, mlima umekasirika, kwa maana umejificha nyuma ya mawingu, hautaki kuonekana! (Yes the mountain is annoyed and that is why it is hiding behind the clouds, refusing to be seen)"
It was a warm and cloudy morning in the serenity of Moshi town. The beauty of Moshi, accentuated by the domineering presence of Mt Kilimanjaro, is an enduring joy to the visitor.
No matter which side of Moshi you may be, waking up to the view of the magnificent mountain recalls a popular refrain in these parts: I woke up and kissed the Kilimanjaro good morning.
Today, however, on the first morning of our assignment, there was no visible Kilimanjaro to kiss. Thick clouds had assembled above and around the giant mountain, forming a protective cover.
"As the day unfolds, the mountain may be kind enough to peek through the clouds, a very beautiful sight," Nechi Limo, our guide, told us.
True to his word, the mountain broke into view as dawn gave way to a bright new day. A few hours towards midday, Africa's highest mountain stood tall and proud in all its glory, with the twin peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi filling up the view.
Sheets of snow from one of the peaks roll down the mountainside but soon disappear into crevices before reaching the base of the mountain.
Unknown to many, the popular shiny ice cap on Kilimanjaro is actually on Kibo peak. Mawenzi peak does not have any snow or ice left, although years back it too wore a shiny ice cap.
"Believe it or not, Mawenzi is now bare without any snow or ice on it. About 15 years ago, the ice cap was there. The same case applies to Mount Meru in Arusha which also had an ice cap once upon a time. Now, Mount Meru has no evidence of ice on it," says Philemon Ndesamburo, Moshi's Member of Parliament.
Ndesamburo, who is also the shadow Minister for Tourism and Natural Resources in the opposition CHADEMA party, is one of the few Tanzanian leaders who can authoritatively talk about Mount Kilimanjaro's melting ice cap.
A native of the old Moshi District located directly at the foot of the mountain, Ndesamburo says a lot of changes have taken place on the mountain since his childhood.
"When I was a young boy in the village, we seldom saw the whole of Mt Kilimanjaro throughout the year. Most of the time, the whole mountain was covered in snow and the ice cap was so thick that the whole mountain would be engulfed in dense clouds for months," he says.
Today, it is possible to view the whole mountain on a daily basis. Because of the reduction of the ice and snow on the mountain, the cloud cover around it is not as thick and persistent as before.
"Our government dismisses the melting of the ice cap as propaganda by the western media. If this is so, why can't the government do its own research then come up with a report on the exact situation at the mountain?" he challenges.
Last year, American Professor Lonnie Thompson from Ohio State University went with a group of scientists to Moshi to find out more on the melting ice cap. The group intended to fly a balloon atop the mountain so as to acquire a least 50 tonnes of ice from the mountain to facilitate their research.
"Surprisingly, the government stopped the researchers saying that the balloon flights would scare away animals. That was a petty excuse," Ndesamburo says. Thompson and his colleagues, however, carried on with their research and established that the ice cap was melting fast. It is estimated that the whole cap will be completely gone in 12 years.
"We have the results of Prof Thompson research. Eighty years ago, there was about 12.2 square kilometres of ice cap. By the year 2,000, there was only 2.2 square kilometres of ice cap left," the legislator says.
These are the findings that prompted Prof Thompson to lead an international campaign in an effort to make scientists as well as environmentalists aware of this turn of events.
Thompson research also confirms that Peru's Quelccaya's ice cap in the Southern Andes mountains has also shrunk by at least 20 per cent since 1963. More troubling, however, is Thompson observation that the rate of retreat for one of the main glaciers flowing out of the ice cap Qori Kalis has been 32 times greater in the last three years than it was in the period between 1963 and 1978.
In his report, Thompson states: "Officials worry that the loss of the ice cap atop Kilimanjaro will be devastating to the thriving trade that brings people to the mountain each year and fuels the country's economy."
Ndesamburo concurs with these findings and adds that a number of seasonal rivers that used to flow from atop the mountain to the surrounding areas have dried up.
"Moshi has a population of over 200,000 people most of whom are farmers. This is the area where the bulk of Tanzania's coffee is produced. Banana farming is also vibrant. However, with these rivers drying up, there is a big disaster waiting to happen," he says.
A spot check around Marangu, Himo and various villages at the foot of the Kilimanjaro reveals a number of rivers have dried up. From the Mawenzi peak, rivers Una, Monjo and Ona are no longer reliable to the villages around it while rivers Karanga, Weruweru and Kikafau, flowing from the Kibo peak, have also dried up.
Going further east towards the Rombo side of the mountain, the ice cap is completely gone. Gone too is the giant river Ungwasi, a main source of water for the people of Rombo.
Even more disturbing is the gradual disappearance of rain forests that are crucial to agriculture.
"We have a major problem of de-forestation here. All the saw mills operating in this area should be closed down. The government knows about the destruction of forests. Sadly, those doing this are destroying rain forests which are crucial to our survival," Ndesamburo argues.
We established that tree felling around Mount Kilimanjaro is rife. Also contributing to the degradation of the mountain are fires that ravage the place during the dry season. Some of these fires are accidentally started while others are arson attacks for various reasons. Global warming is also blamed for the melting of the ice cap.
Ndesamburo says the warming is "due to excessive carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere from factories that use gas, oil and coal."
The tragedy is that few Tanzanians truly understand what is happening to the ice cap and how it could affect their lives.

Christine Chumbler

MDC details fraud claims in presidential poll Stuffed ballots, missing ballots, attacks on polling agents ¯ it s all in the opposition s report on how the

Message 10 of 26
, Mar 26 6:58 AM

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MDC details fraud claims in presidential poll

Stuffed ballots, missing ballots, attacks on polling agents ― it's all in the
opposition's report on how the party says President Robert Mugabe's government
"manipulated the electoral process"

AFP

Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), rejected the results of the March 9-11 poll shortly after Mugabe was
declared the winner.

But the inch-thick report released on Tuesday provides the most detailed analysis
yet aiming to support Tsvangirai's claim that the election was "stolen" and
"massively rigged".

The party found large differences between the number of ballots tallied at polling
centres and the number of votes cast according to the official results.

According to the party's count, 185 961 ballots went missing in 48 constituencies.
The number of ballots recorded at polling stations in those areas was higher than the
number announced when the registrar-general gave the results, the report said.

The opposite happened in 72 other constituencies. The number of votes announced
by the registrar general was as much as 246 445 votes higher than the figures
announced at the counting centres, according to MDC.

Official results gave Mugabe 426 454 more votes than Tsvangirai, extending his
22-year grip on power by a further six years.

The party said it had still been unable to
compile a complete national report on the
election because pro-Mugabe militants
had blocked their polling agents from
monitoring 40% of rural voting stations.

"The report covers only the initial phases
of information gathering because many of
the polling agents are still detained by
the police or their whereabouts unknown
as a result of intimidation or related
reasons," the party said.

Mugabe's government has not responded
to most of the allegations made by the
MDC and has rejected reports from
observer missions ― including local
independent observers, regional
parliamentarians, the Commonwealth and
most western nations ― which found the
polls were neither free nor fair.

At least 42 people have died since the
start of this year in political violence,
most of them MDC supporters.

The MDC has reported two of its polling
agents killed either by soldiers or
pro-Mugabe militia.

Thousands more have suffered beatings
or other intimidation, according to rights
groups.

In its report, the MDC said 83 of its
campaign rallies were disrupted or cancelled by police or the militias, who have set
up bases around the country during the last two years.

Among the other irregularities cited by the party were:

no opposition access to state media, which operate the only radio and
television networks in Zimbabwe;
a 40%- reduction of polling stations in urban areas, where the MDC enjoys
most of its support;
reduced numbers of independent observers, with only 430 domestic observers
granted accreditation, of the 12 000 who applied;
Mugabe's issuing of new electoral regulations right up to the day before the
voting began;
new laws that curtailed freedoms of expression and association;
and a delay in opening polling stations on a court-ordered third day of voting in
Harare.

Some African nations have backed the results, including South Africa, Kenya,
Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia, even though South Africa and Nigeria were
part of a three-nation team that subsequently suspended Zimbabwe from the
54-nation Commonwealth for a year.

Other African nations, including Ghana and Senegal, have joined Western capitals in
criticizing the polls, saying they failed to meet democratic standards.

*****

African leaders seek aid
breakthrough

Leaders of 21 African states have gathered in
Abuja in Nigeria to fine-tune a plan to finance
economic development in the continent, ahead
at a meeting of the world's biggest
industrialised countries.

The plan, dubbed the New Partnership for
African Development (Nepad), is the brainchild
of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and
Thabo Mbeki of South Africa.

The BBC's Elizabeth
Blunt says African
countries are counting
on the plan to
re-engage potential
donors and investors.

It is to be discussed by
G8 leaders, who will lay
out their response -
including financing to
tackle the Aids crisis
which affects tens of millions of Africans - in
June.

South Africa has requested that the Western
countries, on whose money the plan depends,
should not victimise the whole continent
following the election in Zimbabwe.

Details

The summit aims to develop in more detail the
ideas drawn up by the 16 member states of
Nepad before a visit to Nigeria by Canadian
Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who is due to
host the next G8 meeting.

It hopes to persuade Western countries and
companies to invest $64bn (£45bn) a year in
Africa, targeting economic growth of 7%, in
exchange for promises that good governance
and transparency will be encouraged.

On the agenda are
subjects including
peace and security,
agriculture and market
access, capital flows,
economic and
corporate governance,
infrastructure and
human development.

But some fear that the
recent election in
Zimbabwe has put
that investment at
risk.

Western governments,
together with a clutch
of non-governmental
organisations including
the Commonwealth,
cast doubt on the
legitimacy of the
President Robert Mugabe's victory.

Zimbabwe's neighbours, however, were broadly
in agreement that Mr Mugabe won fairly.

Malawi wants to spend 6,8 billion kwacha ($150-million) to combat its devastating
hunger crisis, a statement from Vice President Justin Malewezi's office said on
Saturday

SAPA-AFP

The statement, issued after Malewezi held discussions with donors in the
administrative capital Lilongwe this week, said half the amount would address
medium-term food security issues.

Assistance to flood victims and cholera control will each cost five million dollars, the
statement added, without saying how the programs would be funded.

The food crisis began in part last year, when the worst floods in living memory struck
the nation. Drought this year has caused crops to fail, leaving the nation with severe
food shortages.

Malnutrition has left the population more
vulnerable to disease, including cholera,
which has claimed 503 lives since the
outbreak began in November.

More than 300 people starved to death in
January and February alone, according to
civic and church groups.

Malawi also needs to replenish its
strategic grain reserves, after 60 000 tons
of the staple maize were sold to Kenya last year in a corruption scandal.

Spending will also include a supplementary feeding program for the chronically ill, the
elderly and other vulnerable groups. Agriculture secretary Anddrina Mchiela was
quoted by the media on Saturday as saying that the government has responded to
the worst hunger in living memory by supporting supplementary feeding programs for
pregnant women and children under five.

Up to 76% of the country's 11-million people have no food, according to official
figures. - Sapa-AFP

*****

Zimbabwe media chief
quits

Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation chief
executive Alum Mpofu has resigned amid a
government inquiry into his sexuality.

The state-run corporation said Mr Mpofu was
leaving for personal reasons and his resignation
would take effect immediately.

He was quoted by state-run media as saying
his decision followed reports of impropriety on
his part.

The government launched an inquiry after
allegations that Mr Mpofu was caught "in a
compromising situation" with another man at a
night club.

President Robert Mugabe has repeatedly
denounced homosexuals, describing them as
"worse than pigs and dogs".

Mr Mpofu, who is 43 and married with three
children, was recruited to the ZBC from the
South African Broadcasting Corporation last
year.

Last month, Zimbabwe enacted a new law
curbing the activities of independent and
foreign news media.

Christine Chumbler

Blantyre Embarks On US $14m Power Line Project African Eye News Service (Nelspruit) April 10, 2002 Posted to the web April 10, 2002 Raphael Mweninguwe

Message 12 of 26
, Apr 11, 2002

0 Attachment

Blantyre Embarks On US $14m Power Line Project
African Eye News Service (Nelspruit)
April 10, 2002
Posted to the web April 10, 2002
Raphael Mweninguwe
Blantyre
Malawians won't be left in the dark much longer once the country's electricity supply company completes a US$14 million project on its power lines.
The country's political capital Lilongwe and commercial capital Blantyre have been particularly plagued by frequent power blackouts mainly because of silt build up at the Nkula and Tedzani hydro-electric power stations.
"Tedzani power station has been out since November last year," said chief executive of the Electricity Corporation of Malawi, Douw van Wyk.
He said a British based company had been contracted to rehabilitate transmission power lines at a cost of US$6 million and US$8 million in Lilongwe and Blantyre respectively.
"Work has already begun in Lilongwe and is expected to be finished sometime this year," he said.
About two years ago Malawi and Mozambique entered an agreement to share power. Nothing has come of the agreement as yet but Van Wyk said the two sides were still negotiating.
He said that both countries were keen to implement the project because it would boost power supply in the region but that it was expensive.
"It is expected to cost over US$40 million and is expected to be finalised in November 2004," he said.

HARARE, Zimbabwe ** Ruling party and opposition officials adjourned talks Wednesday with an
agreement to reconvene next month, despite gaping differences over how to resolve their dispute over
last month's elections.

In a brief statement, the two sides said they adopted a set of procedural rules and "an agenda for
dialogue" for the talks scheduled to resume May 13.

The rules said an objective of the talks was to achieve tolerance of divergent views, and the top agenda
item was a discussion on the legitimacy of the March 9-11 polls, an apparent concession by the ruling
party to keep the talks alive.

The government has dismissed opposition calls for a rerun of the presidential balloting, which the
government said President Robert Mugabe won.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change insisted at the opening of talks Monday that the
nation's political stalemate could only be resolved by new elections.

Several independent observer groups have said the elections were deeply flawed. The United States
condemned the vote and the Commonwealth of Britain and its former colonies suspended Zimbabwe for
a year.

The state Herald newspaper, a government publication, accused the opposition Wednesday of
"blackmail" for refusing to accept the poll results and forcing a standoff that jeopardized trade and
investment in Africa.

"The MDC should be told in no uncertain terms that it should accept its defeat and settle for its role as an
opposition party," it said.

Tsvangirai condemned the tally as rigged and tainted by political violence and demanded an immediate
end to state-orchestrated reprisals against his supporters.

Officials from Nigeria and South Africa were mediating the talks.

The opposition argued Monday the ruling party's participation in the talks was tacit admittance the rigged
elections had plunged the country into a deep crisis.

Mugabe, 78, has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980 and vowed to crush any protests against his
election victory.

Police and troops blocked protests in major cities organized Saturday by a reform alliance and arrested
64 demonstrators.

Since the beginning of the year, political violence has claimed 48 lives, 31 of them opposition supporters,
according to local human rights groups. Hundreds more people suffered assaults, death threats, torture
and evictions from their homes, mostly at the hands of ruling party militants, since the poll.

Reporters Without Borders today expressed its concern
about the death of freelance journalist Don Kulapani on 8
August during the hold-up of a bar in the capital, and called
on the authorities to conduct a full investigation into this
killing, which has coincided with attacks on journalists by
the ruling party.

"We ask you to fully clarify the circumstances of the
journalist's death and to establish that it was not linked to
the exercise of his profession", Reporters Without Borders
secretary-general Robert Ménard said in a letter to Interior
Minister Monjeza Maluza. "The fact that it coincides with
recent attacks on journalists by the UDF's youth league is
troubling, to say the least", Ménard said in the letter, which
requested that Reporters Without Borders be kept
informed about the investigation's progress.

A freelancer who used to work for The Chronicle
newspaper, Kulapani was in a bar in the capital, Lilongwe,
on 8 August when four armed men entered and opened
fire, hitting the journalist. They then stabbed him many
times. The assailants took cases of beer, musical
equipment and cash from the till before making off.
Kulapani died as a result of these injuries.

The journalist's death comes soon after the release of a
statement by the ruling UDF denying news media claims
that it had a unit tasked with silencing investigative
journalists who "embarrass" the government. In early
August, the National Media Institute of South Africa
claimed to have discovered a UDF plot to attack
journalists of the Daily Times, Weekly Chronicle, Pride
and BBC for having accused the UDF of intending to
change the constitution to allow President Bakili Muluzi to
run for a third term in 2004.

Young activists have been implicated in beatings of
journalists who support the opposition party, especially
journalists working for the Chronicle, Kulapani's former
employer. The Daily Times had already alleged in
November 2001 that the UDF had complied a list of
journalists who "discredit the party" and that it intended to
use its youth wing to attack them.

HARARE, Zimbabwe ** White
farmers facing eviction reported
Tuesday a wave of threats and
intimidation by government officials
and ruling party militants trying to
force them off their land.

Farmers leaders said five farmers in
southeastern Zimbabwe left their
land early Tuesday after local
officials, armed police and soldiers visited their
farms and told them they were
violating the eviction laws.

No physical action was taken, but five farmers went
to stay with neighbors
not affected by eviction orders, the Commercial
Farmers Union, representing
4,000 white farmers, said.

In other incidents in the north of the country,
militants threatened violence if
farmers did not abandon their properties, said
Justice for Agriculture, a group
calling for the evictions to be challenged in
court.

A black settler on one of the farms in the Banket
tobacco and corn district
fired a pistol in the air in an effort to drive the
owner and his black workers
away Monday, said Jenni Williams, a spokeswoman for
the group.

In other incidents near Harare, a black manager
employed by a white farmer
was assaulted by militants Monday and three other
farmers were under
pressure from black settlers to leave, she said.

A deadline for nearly 3,000 white farmers to leave
their land expired last
week as part of the government's often violent land
reform program. But the
government has taken no direct action to enforce the
eviction order.

The government says its program was a final effort
to correct colonial era
imbalances in land ownership. Critics say it is part
of the increasingly
authoritarian government's effort to maintain power
amid more than two years
of economic chaos and political violence mainly
blamed on the ruling party.

The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans'
Association, which has led
the often violent occupation of white-owned farms
over the past two years,
said its members would not take the law into their
own hands to remove
defiant farmers.

"It is now the responsibility of the government of
Zimbabwe to make sure the
laws of Zimbabwe are obeyed in all respects,"
chairman Patrick Nyaruwata
said.

President Robert Mugabe said Monday he would not
tolerate opposition to
his plans to redistribute white-owned farms to
blacks. He said he would not
allow whites to retain massive farms, though he said
he was willing to let
"loyal" farmers keep some land.

Mugabe did not refer to evictions in a second speech
marking a Defense
Forces Day holiday Tuesday.

He said the land redistribution program was "being
finalized." Military
personnel had been given farms and more would
continue to get land.

Christine Chumbler

Malawi floods kill four, over 15 000 homeless Blantyre 06 January 2003 11:50 Floods in Malawi have left four people dead and more than 15 000 people homeless

Message 14 of 26
, Jan 7, 2003

0 Attachment

Malawi floods kill four, over 15 000
homeless
Blantyre

06
January 2003 11:50

Floods in Malawi have left four people dead and
more than 15 000 people
homeless while causing extensive damage to
desperately-needed maize
crops, relief officials said on Sunday.

"The situation is very bad. Extensive flooding has
taken place," said Lucius
Chikni, commissioner of disaster and relief.

"Thousands of people are homeless and there has
been extensive crop
damage," he added.

Two people died when heavy rains hit the south of
the country on Thursday,
caused four big rivers to burst their banks. Two
others died last week when
flooding occurred in the north of the country,
leaving 290 families homeless.

The main highway connecting the commercial centre
Blantyre to Lilongwe
the administrative capital, was reported to have
been heavily damaged in
some sections.
High tension power lines were brought down by the
storm, disrupting power
supply in Blantyre on Sunday for several hours.

Chikuni said he and Poverty and Disaster Management
Minister Lee Mlanga
on Sunday flew by helicopter to the affected
lakeshore districts of Ntcheu
and Dedza, to conduct an assessment of the
situation.

He said most of the flooding had been caused by
tropical cyclone Delfina
which hit the country last week, and was aggravated
by environmental
degradation.

The floods are likely to increase hardship in a
country where some three
million people are threatened by famine.

Floods last year were partly responsible for
causing the current food
shortages in the southern African country. Malawi
needs 600 000 tons of
maize, its national staple, to stave off famine. -
Sapa-AFP

Malawi's finance minister is expected to come under investigation for
his
involvement in the controversial sale of the country's strategic maize
reserves just months before widespread crop failure, officials told
IRIN on
Monday.

With 3.3 million Malawians facing hunger, President Bakili Muluzi last
week
appointed a commission of inquiry to investigate the alleged
mismanagement of the state-run Agriculture Development and Marketing
Corporation (ADMARC).

The commission is expected to investigate whether Finance Minister
Friday Jumbe, who was then head of ADMARC, had "unduly" benefited
from the sale of the maize.

"Minister Jumbe is just one of the officials who will be investigated.
There is
to date no evidence of guilt or innocence. The commission is merely a
fact-finding commission. It is our mandate to find out if Jumbe
unfairly
benefited personally from his involvement in the management or sale of
the said maize," commission chairman Khuze Kapeta told IRIN.

Almost 160,000 mt of grain was sold from the strategic grain reserves
in
August 2000, of which 60,000 mt was exported to Kenya.

This was after unprecedented floods earlier in the year had ravaged
production. The floods, followed by drought, left Malawi with a
shortfall of
about 480,000 mt and made it one of the hardest hit of the six
southern
African countries - along with Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland
and Lesotho - that are struggling to cope with their worst food
emergency
in recent years.

The government has blamed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for
forcing it to sell at least part of the reserve in 2000 to reduce debt,
an
accusation denied by the IMF.

The IMF's countered that Malawi sold the maize after advice from a
food
consultant, hired by the government in a European Union-funded
project.

In August last year, former Poverty Alleviation Minister Leonard
Mangulama
was sacked by Muluzi for alleged corruption in the sale of the
reserves.

Magulama was named in an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) report into the
matter which accused him of acquiring 300 mt of maize without paying
for
it.

It also named several parliamentarians, from both the opposition and
the
ruling party, who bought maize from the strategic grain reserves for
resale
in different markets.

ACB Deputy Director, Alex Nampota, told IRIN: "We conducted our
investigations in the most transparent way and our final report
reflected our
findings. But the fact that a commission of inquiry has been set up to
further investigate the sale of the maize suggests that there are
greater
concerns.

"The commission will hopefully satisfy those who are still worried
about the
sale of the reserves. It goes toward showing ordinary Malawians who
are
suffering that the government is doing something to be rid of
corruption,"
Nampota said.

*****

Zimbabwe food riots
spread

Four police officers have been injured in a
dormitory town near Harare, when youths
attacked people queuing for food on Sunday,
police have said.

In the second city of Bulawayo, there is tight
security around the courthouse, where 39
people are appearing in connection with food
riots on Friday, reports the French news
agency, AFP.

Up to six million
people, half of the
population, are
suffering from food
shortages according to
aid agencies.

Meanwhile, President
Robert Mugabe has
moved to tighten his
control of the main
cities, which are
opposition strongholds,
by announcing that he will appoint governors
for both Harare and Bulawayo.

Correspondents say that governors enjoy
considerable power and they are likely to be
used to sideline opposition mayors in both
cities.

'Green Bombers'

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said that
about 200 people were queuing up for
mealie-meal, the scare staple food, when a
group of youths attacked the police who were
controlling the crowd.

"In the process of controlling the crowd, some
youths came and disrupted the queue resulting
in four police officers being injured," Mr
Bvudzijena told AFP.

Opposition supporters
have been prevented
from receiving food aid
and even from buying
food in urban areas,
says the Movement for
Democratic Change
(MDC) and donor
agencies.

But it is reported that
activists from Mr
Mugabe's Zanu-PF
party were behind the
disturbances in both
the town of Chitungwiza, 23km south of
Harare, and Bulawayo.

The privately owned Daily News reports that
"Green Bombers", graduates of a
government-run youth training scheme, were
involved in the Chitungwiza riots.

The police said they had not identified the
culprits.

In Bulawayo, a group of "war veterans" was
dispersed by riot police when they tried to
protest outside the courthouse on Monday.

State media have accused the "war veterans",
who have been used to intimidate opposition
supporters, of organising Friday's food riots.

They were apparently unhappy at the unfair
distribution of food.

The state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Corporation reported that residents had
accused grain board officials of corruptly
supplying maize to unscrupulous millers, who
then sold it on at exorbitant prices.

'Coordinate'

Zimbabwe's eight largely rural provinces
already have governors, who also sit in
parliament.

Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo
denied that the new governors would make the
opposition mayors redundant and said they
would coordinate development.

Opposition parties point the finger of blame at
Mr Mugabe and his government for the food
shortages because of disruption caused by his
controversial programme of land reform.

The president says the cause of the crisis is a
combination of a drought and a Western
imperialistic plot aimed at keeping power in the
hands of Zimbabwe's whites.

Christine Chumbler

Vampire fever sweeps Malawi Raphael Tenthani | Blantyre 10 January 2003 09:12 A senior ruling party official was recovering in a hospital on Thursday after

Message 15 of 26
, Jan 10, 2003

0 Attachment

Vampire fever sweeps Malawi
Raphael Tenthani | Blantyre

10
January 2003 09:12

A senior ruling party official was recovering in a
hospital on Thursday after
being stoned by an angry mob who believed rumours
he was harbouring
vampires.

Malawi's government has been campaigning to quell
vampire rumours that
have spread throughout the impoverished southern
African country, saying
opposition elements were using the rumours to
discredit the ruling party.

Eric Chiwaya, a senior official with the United
Democratic Front party was
badly beaten in the attack on Wednesday night.

Hundreds of people from a township south of
Blantyre stoned his house and
when he tried to escape by car, they stoned him
inside the vehicle, he said.

Police had to fire shots to disperse the crowd.
Rumours had spread through
the township that Chiwaya was harbouring vampires
and had approached
community leaders asking them to let them into the
area.

Police said three people had been arrested for
inciting violence in the
incident. Horrifying stories of vampires attacking
villagers in the dead of night
and sucking their blood began circulating last
month in Malawi.

Frightened villagers have beaten to death a man
suspected of being a
vampire, attacked and nearly lynched three visiting
priests and destroyed an
aid group's encampment they feared was the
vampires' headquarters.

President Bakili Muluzi called the rumours
unfounded and malicious, and
accused unnamed opposition groups of trying to
undermine him by saying
his government gave aid agencies human blood in
exchange for food aid. -
Sapa-AP

HARARE, Zimbabwe – A High Court judge ignored an
order by his own court barring him from moving onto
a farm
confiscated from a white family, the owner of the
disputed
land said Friday.

According to the white farmer, Vernon Nicolle, Judge
Ben
Hlatshwayo told him he was allocated the land by
the
government under its land reform program
encouraging
commercial farming by blacks.

The controversial land reform program, which the
government says is a tool to correct colonial era
injustices by
giving farms to poor, landless blacks, has come
under fire for
giving many of the prime farms instead to
confidantes of
longtime President Robert Mugabe.

Nicolle obtained a High Court order in September
freezing a government eviction notice on his property
in Banket, 60 miles northwest of Harare on grounds
there were errors in the notice.

That order suspended Nicolle's eviction until the
government revised the notice. It has not been
reissued.

Accompanied by a police escort, Hlatshwayo moved
onto the 900-acre farm last month. He also
moved equipment and workers there, according to
correspondence to the judge by Nicolle's lawyers.

Nicolle, one of the biggest grain producers in the
district, is living in his farmhouse on an adjacent 192
acres.

"This has seriously affected my operations. The
eviction was declared invalid and as a judge he should
know how the legal system in Zimbabwe works,"
Nicolle said Friday.

"I'm going to take him to the High Court. We won't
stop until we reach the end," he said.

Hlatshwayo was not immediately available for
comment. Nicolle said when he confronted Hlatshwayo,
the judge said he had been allocated the land by the
state.

The government has confiscated more than 90 percent
of land owned by about 4,000 white farmers
under a plans to redistribute it to blacks to farm.

At least 6.7 million people, more than half the
population, face starvation blamed on erratic rainfall and
agricultural disruptions caused by the chaotic land
confiscations.

Zimbabwe has been wracked by political and economic
turmoil for nearly three years that began with
violent farm seizures by ruling party militants.

The country is suffering its worst ever economic
crisis. Hard currency shortages have caused gas
stations to run dry. Corn meal, the staple food,
bread, milk, sugar and other commodities are scarce
and long lines have become commonplace.

Justice for Agriculture reported violent incidents
and intimidation have continued against white farmers
still on their land or visiting abandoned properties
to collect belongings and equipment.

It said a woman and her two children were assaulted
in northwestern Zimbabwe on Thursday at their
farm.

Her husband, Alan Parsons, reported to police the
identity of the assailant as Themba Mliswa, a ruling
party activist and prominent soccer coach who
apparently took over the family's farmhouse after they
left last year, fearing for their safety.

The farm, in the troubled Karoi district 120 miles
northwest of Harare, had not been targeted for
confiscation.

"When I arrived at the farm, I was approached by
Mliswa, who had changed the locks to the house. ...
He asked what I was doing on the farm," Parsons
said.

The donation of the southern African country's
staple food, which was
handed over on Thursday, comes at a time the
country face a shortfall of
well over 300 000 tons of maize between now and
March, when the next
harvest is due.

Around eight-million out of Zimbabwe's 11,6-million
people are threatened
with famine.

It is the hardest-hit out of six southern African
countries affected by food
shortages caused by drought and unsound government
policies. - Sapa-AFP

Christine Chumbler

Reporter arrested for interview with a vampire 21 January 2003 09:33 Police in Malawi arrested a radio journalist yesterday for broadcasting an interview with

Message 16 of 26
, Jan 21, 2003

0 Attachment

Reporter arrested for interview with a
vampire

21
January 2003 09:33

Police in Malawi arrested a radio journalist
yesterday for broadcasting an
interview with a man who claimed to have been
attacked by a vampire.

Southern Malawi has been rife with rumours of
blood-sucking vampires,
fuelled by the popular belief that the government
is colluding with vampires
to collect blood for international aid agencies.

A judge later dismissed charges against Maganizo
Mazeze of broadcasting
false information likely to cause public alarm,
after an interview on a local
radio station with a tea-planter from the southern
province of Thyolo.

"I am not bitter with anyone," Mazeze said after
his court appearance. "In
fact, my sojourn in jail has reinforced my resolve
to unearth issues
authorities would otherwise prefer buried."

The police said there was no evidence to support
the interviewee's claims.

A man was recently stoned to death by villagers in
Thyolo after being
suspected of working with vampires. - Guardian
Unlimited

*****

Mugabe party office
firebombed

Attackers have thrown petrol bombs at a ruling
party office in a suburb of the Zimbabwean
capital, Harare.

One person died and seven people were hurt,
several seriously, say police.

Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena said
about 50 young men drove into Harare's
western Kuwadzana township on Monday
night, smashing property and assaulting
pedestrians before throwing petrol bombs at
the offices.

"It's a political attack.
We suspect that it is
related to the
by-election to be held
in the suburb," Mr
Bvudzijena said.

A parliamentary
by-election is
expected to take
place soon, following
the death in police
custody last year of
an opposition
Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) MP, Learnmore
Jongwe.

Blame

Police are blaming the attack on opposition
supporters and have made 16 arrests.

Mr Bvudzijena said the
attack appeared aimed
at "provoking political
violence on a wider
scale".

MDC officials say it is
the work of militant
supporters of
President Robert
Mugabe.

They say Zanu-PF is
waging a violent
campaign to win the
seat in the Kuwadzana constituency by trying
to intimidate voters. The MDC won almost all
urban seats in parliamentary elections in June
2000.

Widespread political intimidation and
persecution of opposition supporters has been
reported in recent months.

Torture

Last week, MDC MP Job Sikhala and human
rights lawyer Gabriel Shumba said they were
tortured by police while being held in police
custody.

Both appeared in court over the weekend and
were then released on bail.

At a news conference in Harare, Mr Sikhala
said he was severely tortured all over his body
"for a solid eight hours" including having
electrodes attached to his genitals.

"They also used planks to beat under my feet
and over the entirity of my body... I am still in
pain."

He said he was then forced to drink poison
which they said was urine.

Zimbabwe is in the grip of a major food crisis
affecting more than half of the country's
population.

President Mugabe's government is accused of
withholding food aid from opposition
supporters.

*****

Zimbabwe distances itself from Moyo's
comments
Richard Thompson

20
January 2003 12:40

The South African government has "noted and
accepted" the Zimbabwean
government's explanation of remarks by its
information minister -- who
described South Africans as "filthy, recklessly
uncouth and barbaric".

Foreign Affairs representative Ronnie Mamoepa said
on Sunday the South
African government had requested an explanation
from Zimbabwean
authorities regarding Jonathan Moyo's remarks.

Moyo's outburst followed a story in the Sunday
Times of January 12 about
his shopping trip to South Africa, when he spent
large sums on luxury items
while millions of his compatriots face starvation.

In his response to that story, Moyo criticised the
South African media and
South Africans in general, and clearly implied that
President Thabo Mbeki
was not fit to lead the African Renaissance.

"If these people believe they can lead an African
renaissance, then God help
them," Moyo said.

Pretoria's request -- on Tuesday -- for an
explanation from Harare can be
seen as a demarche, in diplomatic terms an extreme
form of criticism.

Harare's reply to that demarche criticises the
Sunday Times for its
"invasion" of Moyo's privacy and "disregard" for
his status as a cabinet
minister.

However, it goes on to distance itself from
"inferences" that "cast
aspersions on President Thabo Mbeki's impeccable
credentials as a Pan
Africanist.

"Nothing could be further from the truth," the
Zimbabwean government says
in the statement.

"The Zimbabwe government respects and supports the
role and efforts of His
Excellency President Thabo Mbeki to bring about the
dawn of a new
Africa..."

Mamoepa said the South African government accepted
the reassurance "in
as far as it pertains to the government and people
of South Africa."

Zimbabwe was suspended from the councils of the
Commonwealth -- a
lesser penalty than outright suspension -- after
President Robert Mugabe
was returned to office in 2002 in elections marred
by violence and widely
regarded as rigged.

Mbeki is a member of the "troika" delegated by the
Commonwealth heads of
Government Meeting to consider whether that
suspension should be
continued is to meet again in March.

Mbeki's representative Bheki Khumalo said on
Sunday Moyo's remarks
"would have no bearing on that meeting."

He emphasised that Mbeki would approach the
question with an open mind.

Meanwhile, Moyo blamed the opposition and
disgruntled civil servants on
Sunday for spreading reports of a retirement plan
for Mugabe, accusing
them of treason and agitating for a coup.

"If there is anyone who has hatched a plot to
force the president to step
down they should face the full wrath of the law,"
Moyo told the state Sunday
Mail newspaper.

Moyo said the debate on Mugabe's future was,
"tantamount to plotting a
coup in the glare of the media."

He blamed the economic crisis gripping the southern
African country
marked by massive shortages of food, fuel and hard
currency, on
government bureaucrats fumbling what he termed
"technical" economic
factors, and not ruling party policies.

"There is a lot of inefficiency, let alone
corruption," he said.

"Our greatest challenge at the moment is that we
have a civil service that is
not performing."

Moyo suggested some members of the civil service
may be serving "hostile
political interests."

The economic disruptions in the country --
partially blamed on the
government's often violent seizure of thousands of
white-owned commercial
farms -- and erratic rains have caused the
unprecedented shortages and
spurred record inflation and unemployment.

An estimated 6,7-million people face starvation in
coming months. Analysts
say the unravelling of the economy is likely to
intensify demands for
Mugabe's departure.

In his comments, Moyo made no mention of two of the
most powerful figures
in the ruling party, Parliament speaker Emmerson
Mnangagwa and military
commander General Vitalis Zvinavashe, who have been
cited in reports as
favouring Mugabe's retirement.

Moyo also denied any rifts in the ruling party.

"You will not find in the party any significant
elements that want to act
unconstitutionally and undemocratically in favour
of coup plotters and
electoral cowards," said Moyo.

The South African government, meanwhile, faced
criticism on its Zimbabwe
policy from another quarter on Sunday. Zimbabwe's
main opposition the
Movement for Democratic Change accused Mbeki of
"hypocrisy" and
"dishonesty" in his approach to the situation in
Zimbabwe.

"The South African government frankly, is
dishonest," MDC
secretary-general Welshman Ncube was reported as
saying, in the Sunday
Times.

"It is not surprising, really, because it is the
same SA government which is
saying to the rest of the world: 'Don't do anything
about Zimbabwe. Let
(Mugabe) go on with his torture and abuse. Let
bygones be bygones'," he
said. - Sapa

Christine Chumbler

Authorities Take Stock Of Damage Caused By Floods African Church Information Service January 27, 2003 Posted to the web January 29, 2003 Reported By Hamilton

Message 17 of 26
, Jan 30, 2003

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Authorities Take Stock Of Damage Caused By
Floods

African Church Information Service
January 27, 2003
Posted to the web January 29, 2003

Reported By Hamilton Vokhiwa
Blantyre

Authorities in Malawi are taking stock of damage caused by floods,
following heavy rains that pounded the country recently.

The extraordinarily heavy rains occasioned by a cyclone named Defina,
caused widespread damage to infrastructure and agricultural land. A
number of roads, bridges and railway lines were damaged. Large areas
of
crop fields were washed away, killing at least 10 people and
displacing
tens of thousands of people, now in need of relief aid.

A wash-away of a bridge along Zalewa highway caused a major disruption
of traffic between Blantyre and Lilongwe, but has since been partly
repaired to allow traffic to pass.

Road traffic authorities said three people went missing when the
bridge
across Rivi-rivi river was swept away, following two days of incessant
rains.

More bridges were washed away throughout the country, rendering a
number of areas inaccessible to motor vehicles.

This caused President Bakili Muluzi to declare a state of emergency.
It
was the second time the president was making such a declaration in a
span of less than one year.

In February last year, President Muluzi declared a state of emergency
following widespread food shortages that led to deaths of hundreds of
people, especially children.

The Commission for Disaster Preparedness, Relief and Rehabilitation,
said in total, up to 15, 000 people have been displaced by the current
floods.

Lucius Chikuni is the head of the Commission. He said work had started
to
bring food and tents to the displaced people, who had sought refuge in
schools and churches in affected regions.

The most affected areas include Karonga and Rumphi in the northern
region, Lilongwe, Salima and Ntcheu in central part of the country,
and
Machinga and Balaka in the south.

In Ntcheu district, the Malawi Television featured a cemetery where
the
raging flood waters washed away coffins, leaving the graves open. Some
bodies were recovered several kilometers away.

Western aid agencies have promised to step up relief assistance,
following the declaration of a state of emergency by President Muluzi.

A representative of a western diplomatic mission based in Lilongwe,
said
that the declaration would pave way for a suitable response by western
aid
agencies.

World Food Programme (WFP) information officer, Abbelgadir Musallam,
said his organisation was at pains to try to reach some areas in the
districts of Chikwawa and Nsanje in lower Shire Valley. He said they
were
forced to divert relief food items to other accessible sites more than
20
kilometers away from the strategic distribution centres.

"We have no money to airlift the relief items. Our movements have been
delayed and we don't know what is happening to those people."

When making the declaration, President Muluzi said the costs of
repairs
could be expected to run into millions of Kwachas.

District officials and representatives of non-governmental
organisations
have issued urgent appeals for food, medicines, blankets, tents and
sheets for the displaced people.

Over the past few weeks, teams of field workers from non-governmental
organisations, the department of disaster preparedness and relief
rehabilitation, as well as the international organisation of doctors
without
borders have been forcing their way across washed out roads to reach
the
displaced people.

District Commissioner for Salima, Gift Rapozo, said about 2,300 people
in
18 villages were isolated and that government officials including those
from
his office were failing to reach the displaced people.

"We have come up with the number after estimating the village
population,
but we don't really know how many more people are isolated. It might
be
possible that others left the areas when they sensed the dangerous
situation," he said.

Shadrick Matsimbe, who is the chairman of the Road Users Association,
said his organisation had difficulties to reach an isolated area
because a
bridge had been swept away.

"People are starving in the villages as we are failing to supply them
with
relief items because of the poor condition of the roads and bridges
leading
to those areas," he pointed out.

Religious organisations were mobilising relief aid to the affected
areas.
One of them, the Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM), donated
maize
flour and cow peas to 1000 households displaced by floods in Salima.

Ironically, the floods have come after governments in the southern
Africa
region were advised to plan for another season of little rainfall, and
possibly, a terrible drought.

*****

Harare police break up
mayor's meeting

Zimbabwean police have fired tear gas at
hundreds of residents of the capital, Harare, as
they entered the office of the mayor.

Mayor Elias Mudzuri, who is from the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), says
he was trying to inform his constituents about
water shortages.

He told the BBC's Focus
on Africa programme
that this was the only
way he could
communicate with
rate-payers because state-owned media
refuse to interview him or even carry his
adverts.

Mr Mudzuri was arrested two weeks ago for
holding an illegal meeting.

Earlier this month, the government announced
that it would introduce governors to run Harare
and the second city of Bulawayo, which both
have MDC mayors.

'Police state'

Under tough new security laws, the police
have wide powers to break up meetings of
more than five people.

But Mr Mudzuri said the meeting was going to
be held in his office and so he did not need
police authorisation.

"I hold meetings every five minutes with more
than five people," he said.

"It's becoming a police
state."

He also said that the
police were invited to
the meeting and had
originally given their
permission.

African Church Information Service
February 24, 2003
Posted to the web February 25, 2003

Hobbs Gama
Blantyre

Things have turned sour in several government departments in Malawi,
where civil servants have not been paid salaries on time. A situation
of ghost
workers created by senior government officials, is depleting the
coffers.

Teachers in primary and secondary schools, being the most affected,
have
abandoned classes in a number of schools in several districts around
the
country, including Blantyre.

The issue of ghost workers came out strongly following an audit
instituted by
International Monetary Fund (IMF) late last year. It was discovered
that the
government's inflated wage bill was a result of huge numbers of
non-existent
workers created by officials in six ministries.

Names of deceased staff, retired workers, and of fake individuals were
noticed on payrolls. The education ministry was the most affected.

The Teachers Association of Malawi (TUM) has since taken the treasury
to
task, accusing it of being insensitive to the plight of teachers, who
constitute
the largest part of public workers. Out of a total 120,000 workforce in
the
public sector, 60,000 are teachers.

TUM General Secretary, Lucien Chikadza, said morale was low in all
education divisions around the country. He blamed the ministry of
education
headquarters for the mess.

Towards the end of last year, workers in education, agriculture and
health
ministries went for Christmas and New Year holidays without pay.

In the past two years, salaries have been paid irregularly.

Finance Minister, Friday Jumbe, has since apologised to teachers and
promised speedy action, saying teachers were victims because the
ministry's
wage bill was plagued with a lot of problems.

"The situation is regrettable because issues of salaries are not
negotiable.
The wage bill in the ministry has been fluctuating when it is supposed
to
remain constant," said Jumbe.

Last month, an IMF team made its seventh visit to Malawi since 2002,
and
accused the government of spending beyond budget passed by parliament.

The Fund suspended a US$56 million aid until issues of financial
mismanagement and poor governance were resolved, and presidential
trips
limited, among other conditions.

Subsequently, Malawi's bilateral donors , the United States of
America,
Britain and the European Union, have also closed their aid taps.

Angered by President Muluzi's reckless spending, the World Bank is
pressing the government to refund US$1.5 million in aid of various
uncompleted projects. The EU is also demanding that the administration
gives back about US$7 million, for similar reasons.

*****

UN blames Mugabe for crisis

The United Nations food agency
has said that the Zimbabwe
Government is largely
responsible for the
humanitarian crisis there.

The Zimbabwe crisis was "almost
beyond comprehension" and could
easily have been avoided, said
James Morris, head of the World
Food Programme.

He pointed to President Robert Mugabe's land
redistribution programme,
which has left thousands of normally productive farms
lying idle.

Up to seven million people - half the population -
need food aid, donors
say.

This year's harvest is expected to be even lower than
in 2002 - just
40% of normal.

The government has also been accused of diverting food
aid away from
opposition areas.

'Nightmare'

Mr Mugabe blames the food shortages on failed rains.

He also says that his land reform programme should
increase food
production, because white farmers generally grew cash
crops such as
tobacco and paprika, while small-scale black farmers
generally grow the
staple food, maize.

But Mr Morris disagreed.

"This scheme (land reform) along
with restrictions on private sector
food marketing and a monopoly on
food imports... are turning a drought
that might have been managed into
a humanitarian nightmare," he told
lawmakers in the United States.

Mr Morris said that he had held six
meetings with Mr Mugabe in the past
six months but had failed to
persuade him to alter his economic
policies or remove bureaucratic
obstacles to food production or aid
distribution.

The head of the US Agency for
International Development, Andrew
Natsios, agreed.

Zimbabwe had become "a basket
case rapidly sliding into a disastrous
famine that is politically induced," he
said.

A government audit reportedly
shows that many of the farms seized
from white farmers have been allocated to government
ministers and
officials, rather than landless blacks.

In neighbouring Malawi, which was worst hit by the
food shortages last
year, the government says that the situation is
improving this year.

Christine Chumbler

Just have to point out that on the BBC site today, quite a few hints of peace. Leaders in Sudan are predicting that war will be over by June; observers are

Message 19 of 26
, Apr 3, 2003

0 Attachment

Just have to point out that on the BBC site today, quite a few hints of
peace. Leaders in Sudan are predicting that war will be over by June;
observers are cautiously optimistic about the peace deal signed in the
DRC yesterday; and rebels have ended their boycot of the transitional
government in Cote d'Ivoire. Could it be that parts of Africa are
examples of peace for the rest of the world? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/default.stm

*****

Malawi cabinet sacked
Raphael Tenthani
BBC, Blantyre

President Bakili Muluzi has sacked his entire cabinet
just two
days after naming an outsider as his successor.

A brief statement from the office of
the president did not give any
reason for the surprise decision but
only said all matters requiring
cabinet attention should be directed
to his office until a new cabinet is
appointed.

The Secretary to the President and
Cabinet Alfred Upindi told me this
afternoon he too does not know why
Mr Muluzi has sacked his cabinet.

He said the president just called him
into his office at State House on Wednesday morning
where he was told
to issue the statement.

The decision to dissolve the cabinet comes only two
days after President
Muluzi announced that the cabinet and the ruling
United Democratic
Front politburo had anointed Bingu wa Mutharika to be
his successor for
the elections scheduled for 18 May 2004.

President Muluzi had tried but failed both in court
and in public opinion to
change the constitution to allow him a third term in
office.

Resignation threats

Several ministers and UDF leaders have accused
President Muluzi of
imposing the 69-year-old economist on the party.

A senior UDF official told me that it
had not been done according to the
rules.

Several ministers, according to
cabinet sources, threatened to quit
soon after President Muluzi told both
the cabinet and the UDF National
Executive Committee that he wanted
Mr wa Mutharika to be his chosen
successor.

My cabinet source told me that ever
since President Muluzi's first attempt
to change the constitution to allow him to stay on in
power flopped, he
has been intimidating any senior minister he suspected
was eyeing the
top job.

The source told me he settled for Mr wa Mutharika, a
recent arrival to
the cabinet, as a way of punishing the presidential
aspirants.

He said the president's announcement that Mr wa
Mutharika was elected
by the joint cabinet and UDF National Executive
Committee was a
facade.

Purge

He said President Muluzi simply told everyone to
endorse his anointed
successor.

The speculation is that President Muluzi will now
purge his cabinet of all
ministers who are unhappy with the succession process.

But analysts say it is only a matter of time before
major splits start
rocking the ruling party following President Muluzi's
decision to impose a
presidential candidate on the party.

*****

Zanu-PF is only five seats away from total
domination

03 April
2003 12:42

Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF is within sight of a
two-thirds majority in
parliament that would enable it to make
constitutional amendments. This
makes three upcoming by-elections all the more
important for the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Zanu-PF holds 95 of the 150 seats in parliament.
The 150 seats include 30
that are appointed directly or indirectly by
President Robert Mugabe -- eight
provincial governors, 12 non-constituency MPs and
ten chiefs appointed by
their peers and given final approval by Mugabe.

According to Zimbabwe's parliamentary records, the
MDC holds 54 seats.
The ZANU-Ndonga party of the late Ndabaningi
Sithole, veteran nationalist
and Mugabe critic, has one seat.

Five of the 150 seats are currently vacant. Two of
these -- the Mashonaland
West governor's seat and a replacement for deceased
chief Mukwananzi --
will almost certainly be filled by Zanu-PF members,
said Greg Linington,
lecturer in constitutional law at the University of
Zimbabwe.

The others are the constituencies of Harare
Central, following the resignation
of MDC Member of Parliament (MP) Michael Auret due
to ill health, and
Makonde in the northwest of the country, vacant due
to the recent death of
Education Minister Swithun Mombeshora of Zanu-PF.
Also up for grabs is
Chiredzi South, in the northeast of the country,
after the suspension of
Zanu-PF MP Aaron Baloyi.

It was recently reported that MDC MP Tafadzwa
Musekiwa had fled to
London to escape alleged intimidation and had
resigned his Harare seat.
But a parliamentary official as well as MDC
representative Paul Themba
Nyathi said they had not yet received official
notification of this, so his
Zengeza constituency is not considered vacant.

According to the constitution, if the ruling party
holds "two thirds of the full
membership" of parliament, which is 100 of 150
seats, then it is entitled to
make constitutional amendments, Linington said.

Zanu-PF are therefore five seats short of the 100
seats required.

Analyst Chris Maroleng of the Institute of Security
Studies Africa said the
issue of constitutional amendments becomes relevant
in the context of
recent reports, denied by the government, of the
search for an exit strategy
for Mugabe.

"The constitution currently says that within 90
days of the president's death
or retirement, there has to be a presidential
election to appoint a
successor," Maroleng explained. "But a
constitutional amendment could
allow Mugabe to appoint a successor ahead of his
departure and bypass an
election."

The upcoming by-elections therefore become all the
more critical, with the
attending risk of political violence and
intimidation.

"During the presidential election the [Zanu-PF]
strategy was to reduce the
number of voters, as a high voter turnout benefited
the MDC and low turnout
benefited Zanu-PF," Maroleng said.

Other influences include whether a constituency is
urban or rural -- where
traditionally it is more difficult for the
opposition to campaign. Most rural
seats are held by Zanu-PF, while the MDC tends to
be urban-based.

Maroleng said that of the three by-elections, the
Makonde seat was likely to
be a "borderline" MDC/Zanu-PF seat as it had been a
close contest in the
last election, with reported incidents of
violence.

The Electoral Supervisory Commission has yet to set
a date for the closely
watched contests. - Irin

Christine Chumbler

Upheaval in Ruling Party Continues UN Integrated Regional Information Networks May 2, 2003 Posted to the web May 2, 2003 Johannesburg Splits in Malawi s United

Message 20 of 26
, May 5, 2003

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Upheaval in Ruling Party Continues

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

May 2, 2003
Posted to the web May 2, 2003

Johannesburg

Splits in Malawi's United Democratic Front (UDF) began to emerge this
week as another senior official announced his resignation from the
ruling party.

On Thursday, Jan Sonke, a UDF lawmaker for the commercial capital
Blantyre, cited the party's failure to "reduce poverty, strengthen
democracy and improve the economy" as reasons for his resignation.

He is the third high-ranking UDF official to leave the party following
a recent controversial decision by President Bakili Muluzi to dissolve
his entire cabinet and name Bingu wa Mutharika - a political newcomer -
as the UDF's candidate for the 2004 presidential elections.

Soon after the political shake-up, Harry Thomson, (former environment
minister) and Aleke Banda (former agriculture minister) quit the party.
Both men had expressed an interest in the presidency, and Banda also
objected to Muluzi's bid for a third term in office.

But observers say the split in the ruling party could be an opportunity
to entrench political pluralism in Malawi, where the UDF is seen to
dominate the political stage.

"Any kind of split in the UDF would be significant for the future of
democracy in Malawi. Senior UDF members who are dissatisfied with Muluzi
may decide to leave the party and form a new opposition. On the other
hand, some may leave and join existing opposition groups," Ralph
Kasambara, chairman of the NGO, the Civil Liberties Committee, told
IRIN.

"This will in the long term encourage healthy debate and produce a
vibrant opposition. Presently, the UDF has a stranglehold on politics in
Malawi and by watering down some of that power, we will eventually
escape the quagmire of a state dominated by just one party," he added.

Meanwhile, John Tembo on Tuesday was elected president of the main
opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP). The MCP convention was marred by
violence after it emerged that Tembo, the deputy leader of the party,
had won more votes than party leader Gwanda Chakuamba, and would
therefore be the party's candidate in the 2004 presidential elections.

Some 15 people were injured in the clashes.

*****

African Presidents Tackle Zimbabwe Chaos

By ANGUS SHAW
The Associated Press
Monday, May 5, 2003; 6:32 AM

HARARE, Zimbabwe - Three African presidents arrived in Zimbabwe Monday
for talks aimed at ending the political chaos and violence that has
crippled the nation for three years.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, Nigerian President Olusegun
Obasanjo and Malawi President Bakili Muluzi went to a Harare hotel where
they were scheduled to meet with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe,
whose increasingly autocratic rule has been blamed for causing the
crisis.

They were also scheduled to hold a separate meeting with Morgan
Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

Zimbabwe officials said the main talks with Mugabe were to be held at
his State House offices, where reporters for some foreign media
organizations were refused entry.

The new mediation efforts come ahead of a trip to southern Africa by
Walter Kansteiner, the U.S. State Department's top Africa official.
Kansteiner will visit South Africa and Botswana, and will try to win
backing for calls for political reform in Zimbabwe.

Mugabe, 79, who led the nation to independence in 1980, narrowly
defeated Tsvangirai in presidential polls last year that independent
observers said were deeply flawed.

The opposition, along with Britain, the European Union and the United
States, have refused to accept the results, saying voting was rigged and
influenced by intimidation mainly against opposition supporters.

The Herald newspaper, a government mouthpiece, said in an editorial
Monday that Mugabe's foes hoped the talks would lead to Mugabe's
retirement and implied the government feared a possible attack from U.S.
and British forces, an implication both nations have repeatedly denied.

"There is trepidation ... about the timing of the visit in view of the
pronounced positions of the British and American governments over regime
change in Zimbabwe following their successful invasion and occupation of
Iraq," it said.

Talks between the MDC and Mugabe's party, mediated by Nigeria and South
Africa, ended in a stalemate last year.

Mugabe said last month he would only meet with Tsvangirai if the
opposition recognized his re-election and dropped a court case
challenging the result, conditions the MDC has previously rejected.

The opposition and the main labor federation have shut down most of the
economy with two national anti-government strikes since mid-March.

Zimbabwe is suffering its worst economic crisis since independence.
Inflation has soared to a record 228 percent, unemployment is nearly 70
percent and Zimbabweans face shortages of hard currency, food, gasoline
and medicine.

More than 200 people have been killed in political violence since 2000
and thousands of others, mostly opposition supporters, have been
arrested and tortured, rights groups say.

Christine Chumbler

Malawi bans Big Brother Africa Big Brother Africa has been taken off the air in Malawi after the country s parliament condemned it as immoral . It voted to

Message 21 of 26
, Aug 6, 2003

0 Attachment

Malawi bans Big Brother Africa

Big Brother Africa has been taken off the air in Malawi after the
country's parliament condemned it as "immoral".

It voted to ban the pan-African reality series from its public TV
station because of concerns about its sexual content.

Taylor Nothale, chairman of the parliamentary committee on the media,
said he had received a number of complaints, particularly from parents.

He said most Malawians felt the show might encourage young people to
engage in immoral behaviour.

"People are subjected to horrible pictures which are corrupting the
morals of our children," Mr Nothale said.

Opposition leader Gwanda Chakuamba said: "We want the government to
stop that nonsense on TV."

Most of the southern African country's 10.6 million people are deeply
conservative Christians. It also has a Muslim minority.

Malawi has become the third African nation to condemn the series
following concerns raised by religious and political leaders in Zambia
and Namibia.

They have complained that some of the footage broadcast is too
explicit.

State-run Television Malawi has been broadcasting highlights of the
South Africa-based show every evening.

It originally featured 12 contestants, each from a different African
country, locked together inside the Big Brother house.

As with the western-style format, they are voted off one by one.
Malawi's representative, Zein Dudah, was removed a month ago.

Apart from the condemnation over sexual content, the show has been
praised for bridging cultural gaps and exploding some of the myths
contestants share about fellow Africans.

Show producer Carl Fischer said: "If (the show) didn't generate any
controversy, the project would be a failure."

Rich Malawians will still be able to watch the show on satellite
television.

*****

Cheap malaria drug approved

A cheap drug to combat malaria is to be launched by GlaxoSmithKline.
The drug could help to save millions of lives each year in some of the
world's poorest countries.

According to GSK, a course of treatment with Lapdap will cost just 18
pence (29 US cents) for an adult and 9 pence for a child.

This is much cheaper than many existing drugs, some of which can cost
as much as £33 per course.

Major killer

Malaria affects around 300 million people around the world each year.

Nine out of 10 cases occur in Africa. The disease claims the lives of
at least one million people annually, according to the World Health
Organization (WHO).

Many of these lives could be saved if more affordable drugs were
available.

This latest drug, which combines two existing anti-malaria compounds,
has been developed by GSK in collaboration with the WHO and scientists
in the UK.

The $5m development costs were shared between GSK, the WHO and the UK
Department for International Development.

Trials have shown that it is more effective than some existing
treatments and can also help people who are resistant to some older
drugs.

It has now been approved for use by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare
products Regulatory Agency.

GSK said the drug would be made available in sub-Saharan Africa as soon
as possible.

In a statement, the company said: "GlaxoSmithKline plans to make Lapdap
available at preferential prices across sub-Saharan Africa as soon as
local approval has been granted."

Professor Peter Winstanley, director of the Wellcome Trust Tropical
Centre at the University of Liverpool which led the development work,
welcomed the drug's approval.

"Lapdap can help us meet the urgent need for an affordable anti-malaria
treatment for use in Africa," he said.

Christine Chumbler

BBC has a photo gallery of a man living with AIDS in Malawi http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/04/africa_aids_in_malawi/html/1.stm *****

Living in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, is getting harder as weary
residents battle with frequent power cuts, water shortages and the
ever-rising prices of basic goods.

Harare once boasted the nickname "Sunshine City" but in the depths of a
Zimbabwean winter, it's looking less and less that way for all
residents, regardless of their income levels.

Last week the state-run power utility, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply
Authority (Zesa), announced it is introducing power cuts at peak periods
due to increased demand from the cold weather and Zimbabwe's inability
to find additional sources for power imports from outside the country.

Zimbabwe imports 30% of its power, much of it from neighbouring South
Africa, but has in the recent past reportedly had problems settling its
bills.

Coinciding with the power cuts, Zesa has started broadcasting
advertisements every half hour on state radio, proclaiming "Zesa: Power
to the people."

"While we sit in the dark with candles waiting for the power to come
back on and women stream out of the bush with firewood on their heads
because they can't afford electricity, the jingles go on and on and on,"
says Zimbabwe writer Cathy Buckle in her weekly commentary.

In several suburbs of the capital, streetlamps and house lights flicker
off at 6pm at night -- to be restored three hours later.

There are also cuts scheduled for three hours in the mornings.

"It's every night," moans one elderly resident of the relatively
well-heeled Avondale suburb, near Harare's main hospital.

"It was Thursday, Friday and then again at half-past six on Saturday,"
she complains. She adds that she keeps her bath "half full" to be ready
for water cuts -- usually advertised in the state-run Herald newspaper
and on public radio.

In June some suburbs had no water for almost three weeks. The
authorities blamed pump failures at the ageing Morton Jaffray water
plant, as well as a lack of crucial aluminium sulphate used to treat the
water.

A so-called "water demand management system" was brought in. This meant
cutting off supplies to other suburbs for 24-hour periods.

Harare's opposition-led city council says it does not have the funds to
maintain infrastructure. But efforts to hike rates have been blocked by
Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo, who has also dismissed
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) mayor Elias Mudzuri.

A member of President Robert Mugabe's ruling party, Chombo last month
declared previously approved increases "unjustified" and ordered a
freeze.

The Harare city council has only held two meetings in the past six
months, says Jameson Gadzirai of the Combined Harare Residents'
Association, leaving residents concerned that civic governance is being
frustrated by party politics.

"What the residents are feeling now is that council decisions are not
being implemented because of a broader agenda being pushed by the [local
government] ministry," Gadzirai says.

There are other concerns. Public hospitals in the city are faring
badly. The privately owned Standard reported this month that corpses at
Harare's Central hospital are being rolled down the stairs from wards to
the mortuary because there is no money to repair the lifts.

Health delivery has been one of the biggest casualties of Zimbabwe's
four-year old economic downturn. Cases of kwashiorkor -- a sometimes
fatal illness usually associated with times of war and famine -- have
resurfaced.

At least 621 were treated last year in the city's clinics, according to
a report by the council's director of health, Lovemore Mbengeranwa.

Price hikes too are a worry. Although inflation rates have fallen, from
more than 600% at the end of last year to just less than 400%, prices of
foodstuffs and many basic goods continue to rise.

Faced with an outcry, the country's energetic Reserve Bank Governor
Gideon Gono last week said that "the thinking that prices ought to come
down because inflation is coming down is fallacious", the state-run
Ziana agency reported.

Gono told the conference that prices should still be going up by about
6%. But his figures do not square with prices on shop shelves: bread has
more than doubled in two months from about Z$1 200 a loaf to Z$2 900.

Meanwhile fuel queues resurfaced last week. A wearying fact of life for
many Zimbabwean drivers over the past three years, the queues seemed to
have disappeared after the authorities removed price controls.

State radio said last week's queues were due to "logistical" problems
in fuel distribution. -- Sapa-AFP

Christine Chumbler

Malawian leader to boot out MPs Malawi s newly-elected president has ordered parliament to move to a bombed-out sports complex so he can make it his official

Message 23 of 26
, Jul 22, 2004

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Malawian leader to boot out MPs

Malawi's newly-elected president has ordered parliament to move to a
bombed-out sports complex so he can make it his official residence.
Bingu wa Mutharika said he wanted to move from his Blantyre residence
to the capital, Lilongwe, as part of attempts to streamline government
operations.

But the opposition said the decision ran against his promises to cut
government expenditure.

Parliament has 300 rooms and its own school and supermarket.

New State House was originally built as a presidential palace at a cost
of $100m by a former president, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, but he only
stayed in the house for 90 days.

Parliament moved into the site in 1995.

"The president needs enough room," said Ken Zikhale Ng'oma the
president's chief of staff.

Costly

But Catherine Chisala, spokesperson for the Peoples Progressive
Movement, said they were unimpressed.

"It will be very expensive to renovate the Kamuzi Institute for Sports
into a habitable place and the New State House into a presidential
palace," she said.

The BBC's Raphael Tenthani in Malawi says that President Mutharika's
predecessor, Bakili Muluzi, who was criticised for excessive
over-expenditure, refused to occupy New State House, calling it an
"obscene extravagance".

The site of the proposed parliament was bombed by the army when it was
occupied by paramilitaries loyal to President Banda when he lost power
in 1993.

The Malawi Young Pioneers, as they were called, were suspected of
storing their arms in the building.

The sports complex remains in disrepair.

*****

Malawi: Media Involved in Aids Information Dissemination

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

July 21, 2004
Posted to the web July 21, 2004

Johannesburg

Malawi's National AIDS Commission (NAC) and local media houses are
currently discussing how journalists can help implement the country's
national HIV/AIDS policy.

Launched earlier this year by former President Bakili Muluzi, the
policy aims to engage key institutions, like the media, in planning,
coordinating and ensuring common standards in response to the AIDS
crisis.

Rita Chilolgozi, resident advisor of the policy project, said the main
aim of the NAC was to disseminate the HIV/AIDS policy.

"We need to use the media as a tool to help the people of Malawi
understand the issues. Writing documents that no one sees just isn't
enough. The media must be used as a channel through which to pass on the
message," a local newspaper, The Chronicle, quoted Chilolgozi as
saying.

Every morning, residents of Malawi's sprawling commercial hub, Blantyre
wake up to deafening noises as hundreds of thousands of people pour into
the city to try to make a living.

During peak hours, roads from townships leading to the city's main
streets become clogged with traffic that range from minibuses, trucks,
bicycles and a sea of pedestrians.

Road accidents are common and vary from five to ten a day in the city,
according to the police.

Back in the 1980s, peak hours in Blantyre hardly resulted in traffic
jams unless, of course, if the convoy of the late dictator Hastings
Kamuzu Banda was passing-by and roads had to be cordoned off by order.

Now Blantyre's landscapes are changing. The latest United Nations
Centre for Human Settlement (UNCHS) study on urbanisation shows that the
city of Blantyre and other trading centres in the northern and central
regions of Malawi are becoming noisier, thanks to rapid urbanisation.

The study, which was released this month, says Malawi, a tiny,
landlocked and impoverished southern African nation of about 13 million
has emerged as the fastest urbanising country in the world with an urban
population growth of 6.3 percent, compared to 0.5 percent in rural
areas.

According to the study, three million people now live in urban areas
compared to 260,000 in 1966, something which represents a 25-percent
growth.

The study, which has tipped Malawi to score highly in urbanisation in
the next 15 years, concurs with an earlier study by the UK Department
for International Development (DFID) that 44 percent, or more than 5
million people would live in towns by 2015.

It says three-quarters of Malawi's population lives in the main urban
centres of Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba.

The findings of the two studies prompted Malawian authorities and civil
society Tuesday to convene a meeting in the administrative capital,
Lilongwe to debate how to meet the challenges of urbanisation in the
next 15 years.

The stakeholders, meeting under the theme "Malawi is World Champion in
Urban Population Growth", admitted that urbanisation was the main
contributing factor to land and housing shortages, congestion, squatter
settlements, crime, HIV/AIDS infection and unemployment.

Malawi's economy depends on agriculture and shortages of land have in
recent years contributed to perennial food shortages, which refuse to
ease. In 2002, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation
(FAO) and other aid agencies estimated that more than three million
Malawians needed emergency food. This year, the agencies have projected
that more than one million people will starve if food aid is not
provided.

Economists fear that the need to import the staple maize this year
could cause depreciation of kwacha as the country's foreign exchange
cover is low. Donors are withholding aid, citing fiscal indiscipline by
Lilongwe.

Apart from food insecurity, HIV/AIDS infection has emerged as the most
appalling crisis to hit the urban areas. Malawi's HIV infection
prevalence hovers at 14.7 percent, according to the latest UN Joint
Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) report.

Of the one million people infected, the Malawi National AIDs Commission
(NAC) estimates that 25 percent, or 250,000, are in urban areas compared
to 13 percent in the rural areas.

The commission estimates that AIDS has created about 600,000 orphans.
As a result, orphanages are now overwhelmed.

"Most of the orphans end up on the streets as beggars and grow up into
thugs," says Bertha Bonongwe of Chisomo Care Group, an orphanage at
Ndala Village in the outskirts of Blantyre.

City officials say urbanisation is also leading to squatter
settlements, which cause congestion and sanitation breakdowns. According
to UNCHS, 71 percent of residents in Blantyre live in squalid and
unplanned settlements.

City officials blame utility companies for providing installations in
areas that are not fully developed.

"Installations such as water and electricity in underdeveloped places
attract people to go and settle in such areas," says Sophie Kalimba, the
chief executive of Blantyre City Assembly.

Masauko Ngwaluko, spokesperson for the Lilongwe Water Board, says
vandalism of plastic water pipes has been on a steady increase in recent
years. The pipes are used for making teapots and other domestic
appliances, which are on high demand in the city.

"We're losing about K650,000 (6,000 United States dollars) every month
to repair vandalised installations," he says, adding that such
disruptions were leading to failure by the board to provide
uninterrupted services to residents.

The country's sole power utility, the Electricity Supply Corporation of
Malawi (Escom), is also feeling the pinch of urbanization. Its
installations, such as transformers, are targeted by residents who
extract the oil for unknown use, it says.

Critics say Malawi has become poorer in the past 10 years of
re-introducing multiparty democracy. Before 1994, Malawi had been a
one-party state for more than 30 years under Banda. Over 65 percent of
the population now lives below the poverty line of one dollar a day,
according to the World Bank.

In April, a study by Khwima Nthara, an economist with Deloitte and
Touche firm revealed that Malawi's Gross National Income - that is
earned by individuals in a country - has fallen from 220 dollars in 1997
to 160 dollars now.

Economists and UN agencies believe poverty is the main driving force
behind the rural-urban migration in Malawi. "The influx of people from
rural areas is directly linked to increasingly harsh conditions many
families are facing in outlying areas of Malawi," says the UNCHS study.

To address the problems faced by the urban poor, the Secondary Centres
Development Project (SCDP) - a German funded project - is servicing
unplanned housing sites with access to clean water, drainages, roads and
processing land ownership certificates.

Charles Mkula, the projects' communication officer, says SCDP has
processed 8,900 title deeds for the poorest households in urban areas.

"Due to urbanisation, poverty is increasing in urban households with
homeless migrants living in slums not fit for human habitation," Mkula
told IPS.

Like it or hate it, rapid urbanisation looks irreversible in Malawi.

"Evidence shows urbanisation cannot be stopped whether by law, policy
or development projects targeting the poor. The best thing to do would
be to let public investment follow the people," argues Mtafu Zeleza
Manda of the Malawi Institute of Physical Planners (MIPP), which pools
the country's engineers, architects, and planners.

*****

Malawi clerics caught canoodling

By Raphael Tenthani
BBC correspondent in Blantyre

A Catholic priest and nun have been arrested in Malawi for making love
in an airport car park.
The 43-year-old priest and 26-year-old nun were caught "in the act" in
a tinted saloon car parked at Lilongwe International Airport.

"It was a bizarre spectacle, the public alerted airport police after
noticing the car shaking in a funny way," police spokesman Kelvin Maigwa
told the BBC.

The pair is due before a magistrate in the capital, Lilongwe, on
Thursday.

Abandoning pastoral duties

When the police arrived, catching them in the act, the two were
promptly arrested and charged with indecent behaviour in a public place,
Mr Maigwa said.

They were detained overnight at a police station near the airport.

The charge is a misdemeanour and, if convicted, the pair may get away
with a small fine.

The two were first noticed by eye-witnesses as they parked the car and
wound up the tinted windows.

"We thought they could be rushing for a plane that was about to take
off but we were surprised that they never got out of the car," said a
taxi driver.

After being arrested, the nun was allowed to put on her habit, Mr
Maigwa said.

The priest was dressed in civilian clothes, he said.

*****

Zambia cracks down on hackers

Dickson Jere | Lusaka, Zambia

29 July 2004 13:58

Zambia's government is to present a tough Bill on cyber crime to
Parliament on Friday that will see convicted hackers and other offenders
face harsh sentences ranging from 15 to 25 years in jail.

The Computer Misuse and Crimes Bill enjoys strong backing from bankers
and the Computer Society of Zambia, a group of professionals promoting
computer use, who say hacking into dormant accounts has become a problem
in this poor Southern African country.

"We feel this law will help to deal with the increasing number of
electronic frauds and hacking especially in the financial sector," said
Milner Makuni, president of the Computer Society of Zambia.

The most famous cyber offence in Zambia was committed by a young
computer wizard who hacked the State House website and replaced the
picture of then president Frederick Chiluba with a cartoon.

He was arrested and charged with defaming the head of state but the
case failed to succeed because there was no law in Zambia that deals
with cyber crimes.

"The Bill, once passed, will help to deal with high-tech cyber crimes
that our current legal system cannot address," said Bob Samakai, a
Ministry of Communication permanent secretary.

But some cyber experts worry that the measure is likely to be abused by
the authorities to curb access to the internet.

"It is difficult to regulate the use of computers and internet because
we are dealing with a world wide web," said Brenda Zulu, a renowned
cyber journalist who specialises in online reporting.

She said the country should first develop a policy on information
communication technology (ICT) before rushing to enact legislation on
computers.

Currently, the Zambian government is seeking public input in its draft
ICT policy, which is yet to be adopted.

"This law is very vague and not necessary for Zambia at the moment,"
said Lloyd Himambo, an editor of Zambia's online newspaper The
Watchdog.

He said regulating the use of computers will be a difficult undertaking
and wondered how such a law will be enforced in Zambia, a country where
computers are a preserve of the rich.

About one in 1 000 Zambians owns a computer, according to unofficial
estimates.

The Computer Society of Zambia agrees that enforcing such a law will be
difficult, but pledged to help train police officers to understand cyber
crimes.

"I think what people should be fighting for is to upgrade their
security features on their websites to deal with hacking but not to
criminalise it," said Zulu, adding that hacking a site can be done
outside Zambia, making it difficult to track the offenders.

A senior Zambian lawyer who has studied the Bill said it is an "import
of the British Act" and lacks local input.

"I think this law is very advanced for the Zambian society and
government should not rush it through Parliament before reaching
consensus," he said, on condition of anonymity. -- Sapa-AFP

Malawi's winter harvest should ordinarily ease the country's existing
food shortage, but there is concern that the new crop could be affected
by poor summer rains.

The cultivation of winter crops starts soon after the main summer crop
has been harvested, usually around July, and takes place in areas where
there is residual moisture after the end of the rainy season, or farmers
have access to irrigation facilities.

Due to a poor summer harvest it is estimated that up to 1.6 million
people will require food assistance up to March 2005, but aid agencies
have noted that a bumper winter harvest could narrow the existing food
gap.

"In the past few years, the government of Malawi has been encouraging
winter crop production through various means, and this has resulted in a
steady production increase," the Famine Early Warning Systems Network
(FEWS NET) said in its latest country report.

However, the 2003/04 rainfall "was significantly worse than that of
2002/03, especially in the winter maize producing areas", FEWS NET
noted. "This poor rainfall would have resulted in relatively less
residual moisture and water availability, necessary preconditions for
winter crop production. The general expectation is that winter crop
production should be lower than last season, especially in the southern
region, which was the most hit by the dry spells and shortness of the
rainfall season."

The National Statistics Office (NSO) has forecast a winter maize
harvest of around 225,000 mt, slightly higher than the previous year's
224,000 mt. However, FEWS NET said the NSO forecast was questionable,
given the poor rainfall this year.

"Although the coming winter harvest - around October to December -
would help improve the aggregate national food availability situation,
the improvements for smallholders in the southern region will be
short-lived, and a majority of the households will continue to rely on
the markets for food," FEWS NET commented.

But the rising cost of staples has limited household access to food.
"Prices have already started to rise, consistent with predictions of a
worse than normal [harvest] year ... continued prices increases will
adversely affect households' ability to purchase food," the report
warned.

It will take an estimated 56,000 mt to 83,000 mt of emergency food aid
to assist the rising number of households in need until the next
harvest, FEWS NET forecast.

*****

Zimbabwe court drops paper case

A Zimbabwean court has dropped charges against four directors of the
banned Daily News newspaper.
The privately-owned paper was shut down a year ago by police under the
country's tough media laws.

The magistrate said there was insufficient evidence to show they had
published the paper illegally.

But the publication will stay off the news-stands pending a decision by
the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the media legislation.

Zimbabwean and international rights groups have condemned the law,
which compels all journalists and newspapers to be accredited by a
government-appointed media commission.

Magistrate Lillian Kudya said the state failed to prove the paper
intentionally violated the law, as the paper had won court cases
granting the paper a licence, AFP news agency reported.

"We are free. We knew justice was going to prevail," said Samuel Nkomo,
the paper's chief executive after the ruling.

Launched five years ago, the Daily News was the country's sole
privately-owned daily paper and was a persistent critic of President
Robert Mugabe's government.

scottgeibel

Well that s not good news... let s hope that the colorful Autumn leaves and Spring flowers brighten the moods of Malawi s disappointed farmers. ... existing

Message 26 of 26
, Sep 22, 2004

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Well that's not good news... let's hope that the colorful Autumn
leaves and Spring flowers brighten the moods of Malawi's disappointed
farmers.